March 19, 1984 Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr., civil rights activist and chief lobbyist for the NAACP, died. Mitchell was born March 8, 1911 in Baltimore, Maryland. He graduated from Lincoln University in 1931 and later earned a law degree from the University of Maryland.
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March 17th in African American History – Myrlie Beasley
March 17, 1933 Myrlie Beasley (Myrlie Evers-Williams), civil rights activist, was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi. While attending Alcorn A&M College, she met Medgar Evers and they were married in 1951. Evers was murdered in 1963 because of his civil rights activities. Evers-Williams graduated from Pomona College in 1968, with a degree in sociology and served […]
March 14th in African American History – Fannie Lou Townsend Hamer
March 14, 1977 Fannie Lou Townsend Hamer, voting rights activist and civil rights leader, died. Hamer was born October 6, 1917 in Sunflower, Mississippi. In 1961, without her knowledge or consent, Hamer was sterilized by a white doctor as part of the state of Mississippi’s plan to reduce the number of poor blacks in the […]
March 12th in African American History – Romare Bearden
March 12, 1988 Romare Bearden, artist and writer, died. Bearden was born September 2, 1911 in Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1935, he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in science and education from New York University. He went on to study at the Arts Student League from 1936 to 1937. From 1942 to 1945, Bearden […]
March 11th in African American History – Ralph David Abernathy
March 11, 1926 Ralph David Abernathy, minister and civil rights leader, was born in Linden, Alabama. After serving in the United States Army during World War II, Abernathy graduated with honors and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics from Alabama State University in 1950 and in 1951 earned a Master of Science degree in […]
March 11th in African American History – Whitney Moore Young, Jr.
March 11, 1971 Whitney Moore Young, Jr., civil rights leader, drowned while swimming in Lagos, Nigeria. Young was born July 31, 1921 in Lincoln Ridge, Kentucky. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Kentucky State University in 1941 and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Minnesota in 1947. Young served […]
March 10th in African American History – Daisy Elizabeth Adams Lampkin
March 10, 1965 Daisy Elizabeth Adams Lampkin, suffragette and civil rights activist, died. Lampkin was born August 9, 1883 in Washington, D. C. After moving to Pittsburgh, she joined the New Negro Women’s Equal Franchise Federation which was later renamed the Lucy Stone League. In 1915, she became president of the league, a position she […]